Royal Crowns E-Book

Alessandro Silvano Picchi

• Herausgeber: Youcanprint
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

One day during my writing I saw and consequently I took information about a "Royal Crown". I looked for any possibile source and I found only a few useless informations. My curiosity took me to investigate about this topic and I consulted any sorts of written informations without acquiring any interesting and detailed info as well as very few images. I believed that all of this was absolutely incomprehensible. I thought about all the people that would have been pleased to find some writing about this topic by grouping a specific kind of informations. Then I decide to write about this subject. My dearest friend, the Architect Giovanni Vitelli supported me with his brave ability both written and visual. It took me a couple of years of intense work to produce what now I take to your attention with the only ambition to enjoy you and to fill the empitness that at my time I had found about the royal crowns. If you would like this work I will rejoice.

Leseprobe

Cover

Royal Crowns

Granted trade mark under Article. 6 paragraph 4 of the Regional Law 15/2010

EUGENIO GIANI

PRESIDENT OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL OF

TOSCANY - ITALY

The royal crowns have been the symbol of power for centuries and centuries and, nowadays, their evocative value is indisputable. History is marked by the “passage” of the crowns and, not surprisingly, coronations have been described on several occasions by the artists in the several eras.

The book shows even more a hundred of Crowns, tiaras and royal diadems with which were crowned Kings and Queens mostly from European countries, illustrated by images that show the quality of the jewel as well as the importance that they represent.

The book is a balanced mix between historical background, anecdotes and photographs that makes it particularly pleasant to read.

That journey, starting from the symbol of the Iron Crown, has the merit to gather in one text informations, images and curiosities otherwise traceable in several different publications.

My regard goes to the author and to the graphic designer who get us closer to a past world that still has a big part in our collective memory.

ACCADEMIA INTERNAZIONALE

“ LE MUSE “

Marchio concesso ai sensi dell’art. 6 comma 4 della L.R. 15/2010

Title - Royal Crowns

Author - Alessandro Silvano Picchi

Graphic Designer, Project Manager - Giovanni Vitelli

© All rights reserved

No part of this book can be reproduced

without prior consent of the Author .

This book is dedicated to my wife Loise

PREFACE

Nowadays talking about royal crowns could seem obsolete, like telling stories of a dead past.

I often wondered the reasons why I should have written this book but in the meanwhile I said myself that I could be one of the “Many” potential reader so it shall be extended and distributed for all the people who share several passions like me such as history. This ancient smoky thing full of many legends similar to the stories told when we were children. Or the recent past that has sent out the world with its wars, long-standing, and its peaceful times almost always short, the family relationships of the “ruling class” which unfortunately romantically wasn’t enough strong to save them from the rivalries of wealth and power.

I want to introduce you the “Crowns”, the great sparkling rivals compete in preciousness: at the beginning of the history they were raw and not so much ornated almost always worn as a symbol of religion showing the presence of crosses placed at the top of the crown itself, then, gradually more and more often, in the body of the crown alternated with lilies and crosses. Lilies represented the heraldic symbol of nobility and true Christianity that often hid hate and an immoderate thirst for power.

However, without coming inside the social value of that object / symbol, my bookwants to show clear images to let you free to share or not my feelings and the charm of these hats. They conferred and even today sometimes they do, the ‘undisputed authority’, the sense of possession and the right to prevail on the masses.

You will see gifts joys of immense value sold off due to political changes, royal jewels lost and then remade for the change of power, entire collections of regaliasold off the crown for social passages from monarchy to republic, regal jewelry disappeared for long periods which fatally and magically reappear with little reliable explanations. You will see crowns adorned with gems and gold extracted from the mines of the country represented, you’ll see jeweled pearls found in the rivers, you will see gems that were and are still cursed to get them away from the greed of many. You’ll read about crowns without which the king cannot be a king because in these countries only the same crown legitimizes the monarch. And you’ll read about evil spell that curses people who has no right to wear the crown even just for a moment.

I will speak of crowns also studded with stones that ignorance or inordinate ambition has deliberately defined them with the name of gems of greater value: many supposed rubies ornate real joys are simplest spinels-ruby, balas or crimsons stones with great color similarity to those lower valuable.

You’ll read about gems rented to make crowns more precious for the coronation, otherwise real gems of the crown sold to pay war and expensive battles replaced with cheap crystals.

Also in rich times gems were costed much so they were removed and redeemed to be refitted or in some cases the original gems that has been sold has been repurchased as well.

Crowns of wives queens mounted for the coronation were immediately stripped of the precious stones after the coronation and never used.

The brilliant jewelers at a point in history conceived with great happiness’ of the reals to mount the precious gems in such a way that they can remove them from the crown to be worn in an alternative way; sewing them on the clothes or combining them to create a beautiful pendant or a brooch.

Good example of the two brilliant “Cullinan” 3 and “Cullinan” 4 owned by the Queen of England, which, when they were removed from the crown or tiara, were mounted and combined forming a beautiful pendant or brooch.

One of the many kind of power that the Church has been able to award is the one to crown a reigning. Some people think that this practice has been referred or started (with the benefit of the doubt) from coronation of Charlemagne crowned by Pope Leo III ° with the Corona Ferrea also called the Longobards crown. I prefer to refer,talking about this crown, to Constantin, a roman Emperor, not because he was a king and a saint, but because in some coins, minted with his image you can easily see the Iron Crown on his head.

This custom was interrupted, I do not know if by Napoleon, however, him for sure, took off the crown from the hands of a sick Pope Pius VII, who, with a greateffort, affronted the journey from Rome to Paris to put it on his head pers nally, saying the phrase “God gave it to me woe betide anyone who takes it from me, “despite the fact that someone did it without suffering particular harm except the glory of having done so”.

In Russian Empire, the cross not always over come any Monomakh crown as in the occidental crowns. It happened more frequently in the second half of the sixteenth century when the czars self-crowned believing that the relationship between God and the Czars was direct and it doesn’t need intermediaries.

The only French crown left before Napoleon’s coming was Louis XV’s crown: it is topped by a fleur de lys, maybe it was encrusted with diamonds. It remembers us the crown worn by Queen Maria de’ Medici in a large painting portrait, they say, with the “Sancy” diamond embedded in the upper petal “fleur de lys”. Today the crown is stripped of all the gems, replaced with cheap crystals. As the English crowns that are largely bared, including the crown of St. Edward said The Confessor and King, the crown which is now being replaced by the crown for the coronation: the Imperial State Crown, but it still represents the kingdom.

The original crown of this King was defeated by Cromwell in the seventeenth century, then redone with the return of the monarchy, by King Charles II, the son of the king beheaded by Cromwell “lord protector” during his dominion.

Contrary to what is stated, the current crown cannot be the original, nor made with the same gold as the original gold was sold by Cromwell. The gems of the current Edward crown were false until George V mounted 444 semi-precious stones. On the other hand renting precious gems to embed them in special circumstances such as royal coronations was a common use, both for the royal crowns and for the noble one.

I hope that this introduction has given you an idea of what you will discover reading this book.

ROYAL CROWNS

CROWNS OF THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES

Iron Crown

IV century

Iron Crown - currently at the Cathedral of Monza.

Talking about this argument we need to do an introduction: when we talk about gemstones we usually don’t have proof of their authenticity, being frequently replaced for various reasons over time. I should like to mention the case of the believed rubies adorning crowns and regalia after have been recognized as Spinel-ruby (see State Crown of England).

We will quote the metal they were made of whenever the history would inform us.

I start talking, for us Italians but not only, of the most important crown of the world: “the iron crown ‘(or iron crown or crown of Italy), of the Middle Ages if we give credit to the Constantine’s coin dates back to the fourth century. A. C..

The legend says that St. Helena, digging on the Golgotha, found the Christ Cross and she left it, while, she took a nail (or three, according to other studious) that was still stuck into the cross, and with this she realized the so-called iron crown that was set on Constantine’s helmet.

Starting from the internal support of the crown we could say that it was believed to be

the sacred iron nail, turns out to the metal essay is a silver reinforcement, probably applied by the goldsmith Antellotto Bracciforte who restored the crown after the discovery of the theft occurred, perhaps, at the end of the 13th century. As a result of this theft vanished two plates of the eight that made up the crown which have been clearly stolen.

There were also two small arches? We do not know. In the 14th century this crown has been defined small, in fact its diameter is 5,91 in.

In 1600 the historian Bartolomeo Zucchi already enumerated 34 coronations.

I think I should mention the kings that wore it, in addition to the Lombards kings:

1) CONSTANTINE, in 330 A. C.

found evidence of some coins showing the crown, (published in this book)

2) CHARLEMAGNE, 800 A. C.

who restored it for his coronation

3) CORRADO, 1024

4) CORRADO III 1128

5) FEDERICO BARBAROSSA 1155

6) HENRY VI, in 1186 year of Constance of Altavilla’s wedding

7) CARLO IV, 1355

8) CARLO V of Habsburg, 1530

on a cone-shaped hat which gave stability to the small crown, obviously too little to wear kings head.

9) NAPOLEON, 1805

10) FERDINAND I of Austria, in 1838

made the crown linked through some chains to another crown of the size of his own head.

The iron crown is gold alloy (80%) and silver (20%) composed (now) of six plaques linked by seven vertical hinges, decorated with 24 gems of various colors, including

as you may notice the precious corundum blue, red

garnets, purple amethysts, while others are cabochons glass paste. The plates are also adorned with

24 golden roses embossed in relief and twenty-four

Flowery cloisonné enameled plaques. Pease note

that no other crown at that age bears some refined enamels decorations as this does. The crown does not count on the effect of pearls, always present in jewels of ByzantineMiddle West tradition because it misses them to emphasize the magnificence of this crown. I think that this lack increases, and does not subtract, beauty and uniqueness to the Iron Crown.

The colored hinges with the other stones had been added by Theodoric, who had refitcount on another helmet, since they say Constantine’s one had been held in Constantinopolis to the time of Charlemagne. The crown was still intact, made of eight plates; at that time some platelets were replaced because they were ruined. Some of these are dated 500, and all the others 800 from the carbon dating.

By the will of Umberto I, King of Italy, it is located since 1885 in a glass crash proof box which he donated to the cathedral of Monza where the crown is still preserved. Frederick Barbarossa was crowned with the same complete crown mounted by him request on a headband of iron.

In the eighteenth century were found two crowns quite similar to Kazanin Russia, and they testify the orientalism manufacture of the three crowns.

Only in 1993, a detailed metal analysis demonstrated the sensational discovery that the

supposed substance of the “nail”, regardless of its size and thickness, was silver and not iron. Despite this, the Church continues to declare the crown as a sacred object.

The so called “iron” crown is still the oldest symbol of the united power of Europe. The emperor, according to the tradition had three crowns, gold for the empire, silver for the German kingdom and iron - but it is gold –for the Italian kingdom.

The emperors of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned three times: once as king of Italy, then as king of Germany and the third crowning, the Empire one, was usually given by the Pope.

We have different stories about the sacred nails and it depends on whether Queen Saint Elena (Emperor Constatine’s mother) found not one, but three nails in the opinion of some historical consultants.

One would have been used to make the bite of Constantine’s horse, second, or both would be applied on his helmet, to cross-bows, covered by a gold and jeweled knurl, similar to the St. Stephen’s crown. Some of the jeweled parties have been lost, while the nails, according to these experts, would remained attached to the helmet held in Byzantium, when the crown returned to the king Theodorique by the Byzantines and remained in Saint Sophia Church until the Venetian sacking at the beginning of the thirteenth century (after which it traces are lost).

The accuracy of this last part has no match and we report it as a part of the legend and not as a proven history.

The other two nails of the holy cross are currently one in the Basilica of Santa Cross of Jerusalem in Rome and another in the Cathedral of Colle Val d’Elsa, but the Church believes that the one in Santa Croce church is authentic while the second hosted in Cathedral of Colle Val d’Elsa has a doubtful origin.

I would like to believe in both cases but in my opinion the authenticity of the nails is unlikely improbable... life teaches us that eventsof the past are often reworked and overturned many times to let us free to doubt, at least.

We have already quoted Charlemagne’s coronation with the iron crown that has no iron.

Talking about Charlemagne and the links between historical jewels and religious services and influences of the Christian religion, I have to mention the most famous talisman - and relic - in the world of Charlemagne. Todescribe it (as well as the photos show) I can say that Charlemagne always wore it forprotection. It is a golden pendant with two large celestial or blue sapphires very clear front /back that enclose and protect the remains of the ancient Holy Cross, complemented by a strong and massive golden frame engraved and embossed, enriched with gems, pearls, emeralds and garnets.

Charlemagne was buried with this talisman, and in 1166, when he was exhumed, the talisman has been removed by the burial. Today it belongs to the preserved treasures kept in the cathedral of Reims, after has been in the hands of Bonaparte’s family for many years.

Holy Roman Empire crown

Also known as Charlemagne

960 A. C.

The description of this crown should come before chronologically, but the order I gave reveals my personal preferences.

This magnificent crown was made by a group of unidentified goldsmiths, Germanic, according to some historians, for Otto I - Emperor in 936. It is impossible to think that Charlemagne became king in the year 800 A.C. because the age does not correspond with this crown which seems created in 960. This was mentioned in the text the twelfth century for the first time.

It looks unusual not round but octagonal shaped, with an archaic form implanted on eight golden plaques ending arched at the top, 144 pearls which is more or less the same number of stones but not carved polished roundish shape defined archaic cabochon. Four of the eight plates depict scenes made with enamel on gold, three with images from the Old Testament, one of the New Testament. Three in the Old Testament depict David and Solomon, the others, a third King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah;

the block of the New Testament portrays Jesus with two angels. The other four golden plates have no representations but geometric tracery work and mergers to complete filling with framing filigree and granulation, totally encrusted with gems and pearls.

The front plate above it’s also studded with gems and pearls, supported by the collector above-crown, it stands a proportionate Santa Croce studded 4 large gems, two large clear sapphires placed in the center of the cross, under which it has an emerald raw. You can see two joints or rubies on the arms. Every bigger stone on them is surrounded at the corners by 4 beads in tail head and small stones at the sides, garnets and supposed corundum blue, except the central sapphire which reverses the position of these boundary stones. In the sapphire outline of the cross head misses a pearl.

A pearl is missing on the right side of the central panel of the crown. We do not know when this pearl has disappeared but we can say that it would be very easy anytime to replace it.

The upper arch, sublime goldsmith works carries 14 gems on the side alternated with side Spinel-ruby and rubies or emeralds interspersed with pearls. The small and graceful ridge surmounts the bow, creative goldsmith masterpiece, and it is studded with pearls following the movement soft chin of each single semicircular arch.

The central crown plaque below the cross bears 12 large gems more centered by a large ruby or a spinel-ruby surrounded by eighteen pearls (among them a missing one mentioned before) and it is supported by three large central accompanying and ornament stones, and there are six boat shaped small garnets. Please, note the modernity of this cut and the preciousness given to the large stones, creating a valuable expanse of stones, giving more importance of the crown without weighing it down.

The side plates ornating the enamel miniatures are framed by ten sapphires alternated with 14 pearls surrounding the tile bearing the depiction of David.

Ten adularia or moonstones encircle, alternated to 14 pearls, the tile that represents Solomon, ten (supposed) sapphire surrounded by fourteen clear agate beads, one that depicts Hezekiah and Isaiah, and finally ten sapphires alternated to fourteen pearls in tile depicting Christ with two Angels. There are 11 large gems on side panels with no figures, studded by 26 pearls and forty small garnets.

In the back plate we can see 3 large sapphires in the middle row, starting from the top,

a sapphire, topaz or light corundum, mandarin orange type, followed by two sapphires on the sides, always vertical. Each row consists of an emerald, a sapphire, an emerald, and finally, a light ruby or topaz, all surrounded by 20 pearls and 12 small garnets and amethysts to ornate the largest stones.

In this crown we can easily notice the stones widely used in the past, especially during the Middle Ages first for their aesthetic value, color, esotericism, magic and religiosity. They were often garnet and amethyst, blue corundum (sapphire) or cornflower blue tinge surrounding a large ruby or red spinel almost raw, obviously the hardness of these stones did not allow a more accurate polishing. You have to think that these stones were polished by hand with simple suede leather and were held in high esteem for the visual appearance in perfect harmony of their desired colors. This stones Crown of the Holy Roman Empire currently at the Shatzkammer in Vienna.

are important for the magnitude and rarity but they were not valued for the purity of the gem itself that was difficult to establish with the media of the time. Thanks to the harmony and the chromatic shades they suggest respect but, also, admiration and authority, and above all they recall the incomparable beauty of nature of who, crowned, had the power and the kingdom. They had to represent Nature that belongs to God, who transferred it to his human representatives directly invested with temporal power.

This crown crowned King of Sicily Frederick in Aachen in 1215 and was also used later for Frederick II’s election as Emperor, in 1220 in Rome. Some believe it was made by goldsmiths of West Germany, according to others it could be made by some northern Italian goldsmiths on request of Emperor Otto I .

It should be the truth observing the goldsmith techniques used. I think its style is close to the Carolingian time, and I stare it detailed to find and analyze details that make me orientate to Italian rather than German goldsmith. But it is only a hypothesis and I find that in every old crowns that I will talk about in this book, Italian art is quite relevant, except for the southern school. In the crown of the Empire, I must admit a strong Byzantine influence, but thinking of the Iron Crown and the Saint Stephan’s once, we have to compare them for their kind of jewelry to the summits of virtuosity at least in qualitative characteristic, if not exactly in the style.

The artisans were very high level artist-craftsmen, and we can see it not only for the similarity in small or large details, but also for the pure quality and the level of the work

of art. This very important crown reveals its original custom: it is been first royal then imperial, and if we compare it with the Iron crown, the one of St. Stephen King of Hungary and the one of the queen Constance of Sicily, we must point out a greater monotony composition in comparison with the Iron Crown, absolutely magnificent and perfect harmonic, that teaches and evokes the spirit of the Renaissance Botticelli, the “floral Baroque “seventeenth century and the harmonious French neoclassicism, arriving to eclecticism in the floral late nineteenth century.

That one of St Stephen gives us almost gothic harmony and an ornate placid power that you scan in almost all of the following centuries while keeping intact a strongly Byzantine perfume.

The Constance’s once: where austerity joined the feminine grace of royalty it heralds many stylistic shapes that come through many styles to our recent deco ‘.

Crown of the Holy Roman Empire currently at the Shatzkammer of Vienna.

Crown of the Holy Roman Empire currently at the Shatzkammer of Vienna.

Crown of Constantine IX, King of Byzantium

XI century

Constantine IX’s crown, born in 1000. In the crown there are only seven golden plaques finely enameled with his effigy in the central plaque. In the cooling plate to the right we recognized his wife Zoe (true owner of the emperor power) and in the left plaque her sister Theodora, in a period of decadence. We can see just few plaques from this interesting crown that give us the idea of the whole object and its very barbaric style comparing to the iron crown. Its great value is in the accurate careful decoration of enamels, mainly blue-painted. We want to remember that blue color recurs in all Christian gifts invoices, in glazes, as well as in most of the gems used in royal jewels: sapphires, chalcedony, adularia-looking opalescence celestial, quartz and more rarely, glass pastes that suggest us the religious meaning: the garden of heaven and paradise.

We can find a better view of the crown in a drawing dated 1899 from Strohl archive which shows the ribbons, the golden chains picturing the triad of emperors, not only Constantine IX, but also the powerful Empress Zoe, his wife, and her sister Theodora. Figures of dancers and depictions of sincerity and humility, silhouetted between vines, birds and small cypress trees create strong allusions to a ceremony which exhibits cheerful and heavenly imperial religious manifestations. This could be an echo of a pagan attitude as we often find in the religious Archaic period, but still present in many religious festivals that has pagan roots.

However, we do not want to dwell on the religious aspect nor on the Historical one to comment the wonderful barbarian royal artifact that, as in everything lost in the mists of time, becomes victim and possession of historical rhetoricians. They usually underestimate the object itself to give a hundred different versions to certify their real or presumed wisdom, rather than devote artistic analysis of the article, which is what interest me mostly, was it a belt? Was it a crown? Was it a woman jewel?

Or amale one? These dilemmas for those who does not know they can not represent subject of knowledge, and I think we have hard evidence to speculate that it is the crown of Constantine IX, from the imbalances located invoice to the true work of art. For us it is a royal jewel of rare beauty, and this is enough for me to include it in this report and feel rewarded for this hard and tiring work.

Constantine’s crown is currently the Hungarian National Museum.

Crowns of Otto III

XI Century

Crown of Otto III golden brass unknown location.

The crown of Otto III, born in 995, beautiful but primitive object we used to believe to be made of gold, but otherwise it is in gilded brass of paste, gems and pearls. Its coronal end takes inspiration in some way to the precious crown of the Holy Roman Empire, made of eight panels rounded at the top. The central panel is decorated with a beautiful enamel picture of King Solomon.

The first crown of Otto III, also known as the Crown of Essen, is preserved in the cathedral of Essen and it is a magnificent gold crown, whose coronal band an-height of 1,38 in and its current diameter of 4,92 in is reduced because it would fit the head of the golden Madonna, topped with 4 lilies. It seems to be the crown of Otto III when he was three years old, and it is considered the oldest crown known topped by lilies. The gems that adorn it are “magnificently”: in the front there is a beautiful sapphire, a structural circle made of gold with high percentage of silver covered with a pure gold band, edged with small beads border strung on a gold thread. The circle bears a flight of gems where you recognize sapphires, emeralds, garnets and a magnificent carnelian engraved to represent the head of the Medusa.

The most important stones are positioned on the circle in the lower part of the attachment marking of the lilies, which are also surrounded by the thread of small pearls with four large stones. At the center there are two large lily buds surrounded by three stones located on the center of the petals, all enclosed by a string of pearls. Between the different circle of stones and lilies we can notice some glass paste.

The crown stones are topped by decorations of gold filigree. In this case note that the crown is supported inside a rusty iron band probably used for a conservative restoration.

Crown called ”Essen Crown” currently at the Essen Cathedral

Crown of Queen Teodolinda called Monza’s crown.

XI century

Another beautiful crown in the Treasure of Monza cathedral is that the one of Queen

Teodolinda: a gold circle with stones shows two lines of mother-of-pearl stones, two made of smaller gems that seem amethysts and a central in which stones are probably alternated to round sapphires and diamond-cut stones supposed sapphires of a dark blue color. This beautiful crown of the XI century although overshadowed by the Iron Crown is preserved in the same cathedral.

Crown of Queen Theodelinda currently the Cathedral of Monza.

Henry II’s Imperial Crown

XI century

This beautiful silver-gilt crown, exhibited in the Munich Residence, takes part of the treasure belonged to Emperor Henry II, king and saint, husband of Empress holy Cunegonda. Pope Benedict VIII in 1014 crowned him Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire then he became king of Germany and Italy. The crown is divided into six gold plaques surmounted from thickly lilies carved in relief and embossed with floral motifs, and six well executed angels standing in prayer alternated with lilies. They are both surmounted completely incrusted with gems, including fleur-de-lis sapphire, quartz and moon stones, glass gems, cameos, amethysts, garnets and two ahead emerald cabochons. If we compare this crown of the eleventh century to two insignificant Charles VII crowns (who was also an eighteenth century emperor) we can notice a strong difference quality both in style and execution.

Imperial crown of Henry II currently at Shatzkammer Monaco.

Queen and Empress Cunegonde’s crown

XI century

Crown of the Queen Cunegonde, crowned in the year 1002, Saint and Empress, Queen of Germany and Henry II of England’s wife (both canonized).

Beautiful crown bares circle without arches finished in filigree and granulation, adorned by beautiful, large gems, sapphires probably cornflower, adularia, quartz, garnets and glass paste.

Crown of Queen Cunegonde currentlyin Shatzkammer Monaco.

HUNGARIAN CROWNS

Holy, Apostolic, angelic crown

St. Stephen King of Hungary

XI century

St Stephen’s crown is currently at the Parliament in Budapest Hungary.

This is another real unicum in European history of the XI century.The legend says it was sent at Christmas in the year 1000 by Pope Sylvester II to King Stephen of Hungary.To my usual intrinsic interest of materials and styles, this seems to be the most ancient crown that remained intact as it was at the origin. Perhaps it come from the union of two crowns: a Byzantine and a Latin one, but conceived in this way from the beginning. It seems no tampered and neither the stones nor the glazes have been replaced. The lower part (the circle of the crown) is typically Byzantine decorated with imagines of warriors, saints and King Geza of Hungary (at the time called Also Turkey).

The upper part (the arches) is perhaps the one sent by Pope Sylvester II, in a Latin style with two arches that recalls the iron crown of Constantin, made of iron, if we embrace the theory of the Iron Crown, that the two arches are missing, presumably disappeared. The enamel decoration (in the Latin part) of Saint Stephen’ s crown shows the figures of the apostles, and the Latin inscriptions testify this. We can interestingly notice as described by some historians, that this crown is similar to the one described as the Iron Crown mounted on the helmet of Constantine.

In the nineteenth century the intrinsic value of this crown, calculating only the raw gold and the gems was estimated at 20,000 gold florins. The sacred / symbolic value instead immeasurable as no candidate. Nowhere, not even the Pope, could be crowned King of Hungary except with the crown of St. Stephen. That crown is now kept in the Magyar Parliament with the other royal insignia. It is difficult to make a detailed description of the gems along with the enamels that adorn the crown because we are not able to find a good reliably track.

Comparing with tens of photos of other crowns bearing gems where cabochon and the emeralds finds a great place, in this one the sapphire prevails. This means the reference and the dedication of this crown to Our Lady that in the absence of a king of Hungary was pointed out by St. Stephen as a Queen of Hungary.

It was therefore the same crown that physically represented the king of the country then and now. This is also the reason why it is still preserved in the headquarters of the Magyar Parliament.

We note then, in the circle that surrounds the head of the sovereign, a big sapphire cabochon is in the frontal center of it. We can notice its triangular shape with rounded corners: the two sides plates depict the Archangel Michael in the first, and Archangel Gabriel in the other, both with lances, which turn their gaze to Christ to protect him. They are flanked by two large red gems, probably two spinels-rubies or garnets. We can also recognize the warriors Saints George and Demetrius, enamel finished, combined to sapphires alternating the figures of the medical saints Cosmas and Damian. In the middle of the back side of the crown we can find a speculate plate of Christ: there is an enamel portrait of the Emperor Michael Dukas placed at the top of the earthly hierarchy as well as Christ is at the top of the heaven hierarchy. At the bottom side on the wing the co-emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus and the other hand the King Geza of Hungary, called King of the Turk (Hungarians). At the end of the annulus there are two strings of pearls. On the tips of the tiles, overlying the rim of the crown, we can notice other fleur-de-lis color sapphires of oval shape rubies and spinels are alternated to the garnets. The degradation of the panels is very important. They are placed on the front part of the crown on the last both sides, at the center above the tile increased the representation of Christ Pantocrator in enamel, nearby two cypresses. We can also see alternated panels in enamel and semicircular shape of triangular shape. Those triangular represent a stylized cedar, and those are in a semicircle patch of green and blue greenery. In both cases the decoration is made of glaze on the embossed geometric decoration in gold. A run of pearls mounted on gold pivots completes the decoration after the last tile on the two parts.

From the description of expert historians these particulars should form the Byzantine crown and not the one sent by Pope Sylvester II, which would be formed by two arches above tape forming the Latin cross-shaped cap that intersection spreads out to form a wider square space of the same tapes, where a magnificent figure of Christ pointing the sun and the moon is surmounted at the center by a strange cross pendant on the one hand, perhaps the result of a fall.

On the tapes of the calipers are depicted eight of the Holy Apostles: St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. James, St. Bartholomew, St. Philip, S: Thomas and St. Andrew. The plaques are surrounded by pearls and almandines needle pointed while the sides are decorated with zoomorphic motifs duly enameled.

I also think that this crown is formed by two different crowns. Some experts argue that the crown has been assembled for a queen, not a king. I find it useless to dwell on facts anyway so remote and unknown that are not minimally documented.

The stones that adorn it are magnificent, someone opinion says that some have been replaced. I do not know ..... This crown seems a Hungarian production fully made in the Romanesque style, the assembly of the two crowns is done in a rude manner with nails still visible in the smooth part of the band. The apical cross has been substituted or replaced perhaps in the ‘500 because damaged as mentioned above, and we do not know exactly the reason of the inclination. The stones appear, according to an ancient description, sapphires, almandines, corundum, tourmalines, amethysts, spinels and garnets. The gold chain side tiles end with almandines (garnet) set with gold.

Crown of St. Elizabeth Queen of Hungary

XII century

The twelfth century crown of St. Elizabeth is made by two crowns donated by Emperor Frederick II. She was a direct descendant of Charlemagne, the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary, and cousin (by the husband side) of the Emperor Frederick II. These two crowns are combined in one and remounted in this delightful cap that seems made by mother of pearl shell or metal with circle filigreed gold and large gemstones.

Two circles are mounted in a crossing manner as the Latin cross surmounting the crown, also made of gold filigree studded with gems and pearls mounted to pivots. The Latin crown at the top is enriched by a large stone cabochon (perhaps a joint). All is adorned with precious stones, emeralds, a large sapphire, garnets and amethysts.

This is the magnificent crown that St. Elizabeth placed at the foot of the cross of Christ saying:

“Can I wear a golden crown when my Lord Jesus wears a crown of thorns? “

The crown is also equipped with eight lilies and filigree gold resting on the rim also studded with gems and pearls. Now it is the cover of the jar that contains her relics.

Crown of St. Elizabeth at the National Museum in Budapest.

Margaret Island crown

XIII century

This thirteenth century crown is formed by eight plates lilied of gilt silver, they are linked by pivot nails, decorated with three vine leaves.

The circle is formed by the union of the eight plates that bear embedded, three stones of turquoise and sapphire, while the center stone is placed over a corolla of golden silver.

Overcoming the lilies are jeweled with sapphire and amethyst, three stones for each lily more centrally, alternated with a central pearl and three stones on the petals of the Lilies, other with the central stone and three beads on the petals.

This crown was discovered in a tomb in 1838 along with a ring and other items in the Dominican monastery on Margaret Island, with King Stephen V’s remains or his cousin bones Bela murdered on the island in 1272.

The crown has a Gothic style, popular in France under St. Louis IX’s reign and consequently, probably, imported from France.

Margaret island’s crown is currently at the National Museum in Budapest Hungary.

Stephen Bocskay crown

XVII century

This is the Crown of the Prince Regent of Hungary, after the Treaty of Vienna of1606.

He was recognized Also Regent Prince of Transylvania.

Beautiful unusual crown overcoming the coronal rim with stylized lilies and with a circle of pearls, topped by a closed dome divided into segments (closed petals) that resemble the concept of an imperial crown, marked by strings of pearls, closed at the top of circle of spheres crowning a magnificent emerald stone. This gold crown is entirely studded with gems, rubies, spinels, emeralds and turquoise beads and it takes place currently in the Schatzkammer in Vienna.

Stephen crown Bocskay currently at the Schatzkammer of Wien.